ACARS is an addressable digital data communication system utilized by commercial and business aircraft. ACARS was developed to enable flight operators to communicate with the aircraft in their respective fleets. ACARS is used to transmit routine reports, data, and simple messages between an aircraft and its flight operator. ACARS messages are transmitted using AM channels to avoid overcrowding of the aircraft VHF voice channels. Conventional ACARS messaging is described and defined by the ARINC 618 and ARINC 620 standards.
Currently, ACARS messages traverse legacy datalinks that are expensive and relatively slow, such as VHF channels or SATCOM links. Such communication paths are adequate for communications during flight, but can be undesirable for communications after the aircraft has landed. Historically, even after an aircraft has touched down, ACARS messages must be transmitted via existing systems and protocols, which may be provided by private companies such as ARINC (in the United States) and SITA (in Europe). Since most commercial aircraft communication is handled after touchdown, ACARS messaging can be very expensive for airlines, especially for those with very large fleets.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an ACARS messaging system that can take advantage of higher speed and less costly data communication systems available to aircraft after touchdown. For example, it would be advantageous for an ACARS messaging system to leverage existing data communication technologies such as the Internet, TCP/IP based communications, and wireless links such as 802.11 links. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.